Coach Allegri demands more from in-form Juventus

Head coach Massimiliano Allegri is not content with Juventus' sixth consecutive win in Serie A that saw them climb up to fourth with 30 points, urging the Italian football champions to keep fighting in their bid to retain the league title.

Juventus beat Fiorentina 3-1 on Sunday to trail league leaders Inter Milan by six points after 16 weeks of the competition. Fiorentina and Napoli are second and third respectively on 32 points. AS Roma are fifth with 29 points.

"The race is on for us now to amass enough points across the rest of the season to finish first, second or third. We've still got plenty to do and the leaders Inter are in excellent form at the moment and they, for me, are still the favourites. To catch up with them, we've got to produce an extraordinary comeback," Allegri told his club's website on Monday.

Speaking of comebacks, the 48-year-old added his team's superb turn of pace harks back to October's defeat away against Sassuolo, a point from which their hard work and desire has seen them surge up the standings.

"We made a few slight changes after the reverse in Sassuolo. We needed a bit of time to find the right balance, as we had a few problems early on, but now the boys are flying," the former Sassuolo and AC Milan tactician reflected on the team's turnaround after a disastrous start to their title defence.

"We need to keep up the work ethic that we've shown in the last few weeks and, more importantly, maintain the excellent spirit in the dressing room at the moment," he added.

"We're in great shape physically, we've got players returning from injury and the rest of the squad have made telling contributions from the bench."

Turning his attention to their performance, the coach praised the commitment of his men before reserving a special mention for the scorer of third goal on the night, Paulo Dybala.

"Dybala is growing with every game at the moment and I have no doubt that he is going to be an extraordinary player. He's improving every aspect of his game and his belief in his own abilities in sky-high. As with all things, however, we need to take things one step at a time," he said of the Argentine international.